


Choice and Commitment

by KA_BA



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kinda, Link (Legend of Zelda) Needs a Hug, Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda) Fluff, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Love, Post-Breath of the Wild, Post-Canon, Romance, Short & Sweet, fuck I love these two, no beta we die like men, slow burn? who's she?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25866916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KA_BA/pseuds/KA_BA
Summary: "So, how do I look?" Zelda asked, presenting herself to the hero as he turned his head. Once he did, however, Link found himself at a total loss for words, more so than usual. Link opened his mouth and closed it a couple times, sputtering to find the right words because Dear Hylia she was so adorable!"Breathtaking."
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 45





	Choice and Commitment

Link would usually describe himself as calm, he was always calm and ready. He had to be, nothing could get done if he wasn't focused. Right now, though, he was panicking. Calamity Ganon had been defeated, Zelda and the rest of Hyrule was saved, so everything should be all fine and dandy, right?.

“Do you really remember me?”  
Before he had the time to answer, Zelda had passed out in Hyrule field but hadn't woken up since. It's been two days of steady breathing, but she remained in a comatose state. Link was able to bring her into what was left of her room, setting her on a couch that was intact. 

Link jumped out of his skin when he heard a strange popping sound. He turned to see Zelda stretching her back, waking up as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  
“Oh, good morning, Link. How wonderful it is to see you again. I was beginning to fear it was all a dream.” Zelda greeted sleepily. Link let out a sigh, a huge weight was relieved when he saw that she was perfectly okay.

“You slept for quite some time, Princess.” Link commented, stirring the soup he had cooking. Zelda sat silent for a bit.

She didn't know if he truly remembered. Zelda couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. While holding back Calamity Ganon, all she could dream of was coming back to Link. Though, she hadn't predicted that he'd lose his memories. She expected him to be the same, silent, determined, snarky and somewhat sadistic boy that he was 100 years prior. Zelda knew she was being selfish, because she wanted the same knight she'd known since they were children. Now he was a different man, without the stress that came with being her appointed knight, she would come to learn the real Link.

The flow of time, however cruel it may be, will not change pace for anyone; memories may come and go, but one thing that doesn’t not change is the spirit. No matter old or young, the spirit is indefinite; its existence shall precede all essence. Zelda knew this, she knew that forging their own path was the only way they had to live, they didn’t have the luxury to choose. Thrust into a destiny by the fate of the Goddesses, now they were free to live how they pleased, no longer bound by their divine duty.

Link was by no means the same man Zelda once knew before. He was never the pretentious golden hero she had judged him to be upon first meeting, nor was he the same stoic knight who followed her every move. The memories of their friends-to-enemies relationship even lie unknowingly dormant within his still fragile mind. Fortunately, he was still Link through and through; still the same old dorky glutton.

“What have you been up to?” Zelda inquired tiredly.

“Nothing.” Link shrugged.

“...What are you doing there?” 

“Nothing.”

Zelda pouted, he was obviously cooking something as he sat slouched over the pot.  
“What are you cooking?”

“Nothing.” Link smirked to himself.

“What are we going to do next?” 

“Nothing.”

Zelda sighed in defeat, hoping for a real answer to that last question. She heard Link chuckle over the pot, which caused her to smile a bit, loosening some of the tension. Zelda got up slowly, testing her legs and ability to walk. She made her way around the remains of her room, ghosting her hands around the walls and small broken pieces of her belongings. Zelda noticed her personal diary sitting open on her desk in pristine condition. She gasped with a blush.  
Zelda gazed back at Link who seemed to be adding something to whatever was in the pot. 

'He’s probably already seen it, after all, doesn't do well to blend in. Oh, goddesses, how much did he read? No, he couldn't have, the Link I know would never, would he?'

Zelda shook away the thought because she knew he wouldn't. Though, Link was different now, she had to remember that. She just prayed that he remembered some basic decency.  
She closed the book and continued her way around when she came to face her wardrobe. A smile crossed her face upon remembering that she always kept her wardrobe locked, with the key hidden away in her desk drawer. 

Zelda forced open the splintered drawer and found that the key was still there. She hummed happily, unlocking the doors. She saw all of her dresses and outfits that stood the test of time. Zelda's attention was only focused on her old expedition clothing, folded neatly behind her ceremonial dress. She held them close and took in the scent, allowing herself to be taken back to her days of adventuring and researching with Purah, Impa, and Robbie. She missed the three of them dearly and would like to visit Impa soon.

"Link?"

"Hm?"

"I'm going to change so I ask you not to turn around under any circumstances, alright?"

Link nodded quickly. Zelda couldn’t see it, but he flushed a brilliant red.  
Zelda began to strip, redressing herself as neatly and swiftly as possible. She was about to tell Link he could turn around, when she caught sight of herself in a dusty shard of glass. Her hair was still muddy, the ends tangled together in a matted mess. She reflected on her past, on her mother’s long golden hair that looked much like her own, on the days she spent teaching Zelda how to properly brush her hair and "maintain your goddess gifted beauty, for it is just as important to upkeep you outer appearance as well as you inner one," As her mother had once said. 

Zelda reached into her desk drawer to pull out the dagger Impa gave her to keep after a certain incident. Zelda was not her mother and she is never going to be, that was one thing she learned in the century-long battle. She held the blade to her hair and took a breath.  
“Here goes nothing.” She whispered to herself and in one fell swoop, her hair was gone. Link jumped at the soft ripping sound of her hair, but like the gentleman he was, he didn't turn around.

"So how do I look?" Zelda asked, presenting herself to the hero as he turned his head. Once he did, however, Link found himself at a total loss for words, more so than usual. Link opened his mouth and closed it a couple times, sputtering to find the right words because, Dear Hylia, she was so adorable! 

"Breathtaking." He whispered. Zelda's face went florid almost instantly. Compliments from Link weren't something she was used to, much less him speaking at all and a century ago Zelda might've turned her head away from his honest accolade. However, 

“Thank you.” She said quickly to hide her embarrassment, “We have quite a lot of things to do from now on, you know. So it’s best we set out as soon as possible.”  
Zelda looked to Link for a response, he had a dorky smile on his face that told her she wasn’t going to get away with changing the subject.

“Where are we going?” Link inquired, now looking up from his soup.

“Nowhere.” Zelda replied with a giggle; Link seemed baffled at his own technique being used against him.

“Then what’s with the big change?” Link asked a bit more concerned now.

“Nothing too important.” Zelda shrugged, moving to sit across from him.

“Why are smiling then?” Linked grinned with her.

“No reason at all.” She laughed, and she couldn’t seem to stop giggling. Her contagious laughter made Link chuckle as the previous tension burned away with the embers from under the cooking pot. The knight and his princess laughed into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> uwah I love Link and Zelda no matter which game! They're so precious together, it just warms my heart!  
> Let me know what you think! Thank you!


End file.
